The Dragon and His Heart
by dracofan53
Summary: All she wanted to do was protect her best friend. She never intended to fall in love. She never wanted to love her enemy.
1. New Beginnings

Disclaimer:

I DO NOT own Harry Potter, or anything within the Potter universe, the plot is mine (mostly, some bits admittedly came from J. K. Rowling) everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Thank you for reading this story. I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to review (whatever your comments may be)!

Happy Reading

Dracofan53

New Beginnings

It was Draco's sixth year and although he would never admit it out loud, he was thrilled to at last put some distance between himself and his father (even though his father was in Azkaban). The year ahead promised to be a daunting one, full of stress and pain and it was all because of his stupid father, his stupid, Death Eater of a father, Lucius Malfoy. Lucius was one the Dark Lord's most devoted followers and was thus seen rather favorably by the Dark Lord himself, or he had been until this past summer. To prove his loyalty and to make up for his father's mistakes the Dark Lord had set Draco to a nearly impossible task, one he was certain to fail, but he would have to try to succeed at nonetheless. Because he hadn't been given a choice. Well, he had, but kill your headmaster or die along with your mother wasn't a choice, or rather, it was two terrible options, which is really no choice at all.

He felt sick when he thought about the mark now marring the once pristine alabaster skin of his left arm. He hadn't had a choice in that either. After the debacle his father caused at the ministry with Potter's lot, Draco had been told in no uncertain terms that he would be taking his father's place amongst the ranks of devoted followers. He would bear the mark in his father's stead. How had his life come to this? How had everything spiraled so radically out of control?

Draco sighed as he threw his body against the cushioned bench of an empty compartment on the Hogwart's Express. A few moments later, Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini joined Draco in the compartment. He immediately masked his face, keeping any emotions he might be feeling out his eyes. He fixed his signature sneer on his face and straightened his shoulders in a gesture of confidence and by doing so, reminded his fellow Slytherins who was superior.

Pansy, a pug-faced girl with mousy brown hair, offered Draco her most simpering smile and gave a breathy, "Hello," before taking a seat at his side. Blaise sat opposite the pair with Crabbe and Goyle to his left, a look of utter indifference on his poised and handsome features. The friends fell in to polite conversation, discussing events of the summer and, as the afternoon wore on, Pansy coaxed Draco's head into her lap, stroking his hair in mute satisfaction.

Pansy adored Draco. He was everything she could have hoped for in a man. Not only was he was handsome, with silver eyes, pale skin, and blonde hair, but he was intelligent and cunning as well. She was looking forward to the day when she would be his, officially. Mrs. Malloy. She sighed at her thoughts, continuing her ministrations. Although they were not betrothed or promised or any other such out of date arrangement, it had been rather forcefully suggested by their parents that they would make a strong match. It was this knowledge that gave Pansy the reassurance that one day she would be his.

Hermione sighed as she walked the halls with Ron, fulfilling her role as Prefect. She felt utterly exhausted and the year hadn't even started. Although she was pleased to be returning, she felt weary, certain that it would not be a peaceful year. Hermione had come to the conclusion that there must be a better way to protect Harry. He was "the chosen one", cue eye roll, and while they hadn't taken much stock in these words, Voldemort did. It was because of this that Hermione had spent the better part of the summer holidays in the library researching protection spells. It was in their third week at Grimmauld Place, searching through the ancient texts of the Black library, that her search became fruitful.

Hermione found a tome hidden away in the recesses of a secret shelf within the library. It had taken her quite a while to translate the Latin text, but once she had she knew it had all been worth it, because what she found could quite possibly change the course of this war. She hadn't yet shared her findings with Ron or Harry. She was afraid it was too good to be true.

The potion she discovered imbued the drinker with a specific set of powers. The potion was extremely difficult to brew, taking a month and some very rare ingredients, but well worth the effort it took to brew. For if it was brewed correctly it would give the drinker abilities which were essentially the opposite of a Dementors. The potion worked to fundamentally change the physiology of the witch consuming it causing her to not only have shield like abilities but to effect those around her as well. Much like the Dementors sucked the happiness from those around them, a witch who had consumed Praesidium would cause those around her to feel happiness. A witch with this power could also temporarily share her protective magic through the use of an incantation. She could even choose to permanently share her magic through a binding spell, though this was discouraged as it had disastrous results if not shared with the witch's true love, as was detailed in the tome she found. If she did choose to bind her magic she would be able to pass on her abilities to any children she had.

To her knowledge the potion had only been successfully brewed and taken by three other witches, if the text she translated could be trusted, with the most recent being a young Italian witch some five hundred years before. The potion was designed to only work for a witch. A wizard would find himself unsuccessful if he attempted it and would find himself covered in boils if he drank it. Her experiment would make the fourth. She had so far been pleased with the results. Her friends had seemed rather happy in her presence the last week. She was curious to discover what effect it might have on her fellow classmates and eager to test her shield capabilities. She was also eager to share her protection with Harry but felt a bit more research was in order before doing so.

Draco huffed as Blaise returned to their compartment. He was irritated at being passed over by Slughorn. Blaise struggled with the door, accidentally stepping on Goyle in the process and finally slammed it shut. He squinted, momentarily distracted by a flash of white in the air, before returning his head to Pansy's lap. He didn't actually like the pug-faced girl, but she was part of the façade, part of the image he had to keep.

Draco lazily inquired about Blaise's invitation and scoffed when he heard the names of the other attendees. He offered Slughorn's preference for his father and decided that he simply must not have heard that he was on the train.

"…I don't think he's interested in Death Eaters," came Blaise's reply, darkening Draco's already foul mood. So it was back to that. Of course Slughorn didn't like Death Eaters, who did? But he had a role to play and he would play it to perfection if it meant he and his mother would come out the other side of this unscathed.

"Well who cares who he's interested in anyway," Draco offered with an air of indifference. "I mean, I might not even be returning next year." Pansy became outraged at his declaration, not caring for the insinuation that they would be separated for any period of time.

"I might have moved on to bigger and better things," Draco bragged, sitting up.

"You mean him?" Blaise questioned, voice laced with meaning.

Draco made a show of responding that while his mother may want him to complete his education it wouldn't be important in the new world order.

"And you think that you, an underage, unqualified wizard, will be an asset to him?" Blaise questioned.

"Maybe I've already been given a task, an important task. One of the most important tasks there are and he assigned it to me." Draco nearly whispered as he spoke, his voice laced with malice, anger, and pride. When he had finished speaking, Draco crossed his arms over his chest and plastered a very self-satisfied smile on his face at Blaise's sneer and Crabbe and Goyle's looks of awe.

"We should get our robes on," Draco said a moment later, "I can see Hogwarts."

Draco arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow as he saw the briefest flicker of a trainer hovering in the air by Blaise's head. He ignored the sight for now, promising himself he would investigate once the train reached Hogwart's; taking a mental note not to let anything important slip.

Meanwhile, Harry was aching to move from his post on the luggage rack, but he was sure that if he moved, even breathed too heavily, his position would be made and he would have three very pissed off Slytherins to contend with, which would not be an inviting turn of events. However, much to Harry's dismay the Slytherins did not notice his presence, nor did they give him opportunity to escape. So he sat, scrunched up, legs aching, body protesting the rest of the way to Hogwart's.

The train mercifully pulled up to the Hogsmeade train station a half hour later, the darkness of night surrounding them outside. Harry waited patiently for the Slytherins to file out of the compartment, allowing him his much-awaited freedom, but not all of them left. Draco stayed behind.

He never let on that he knew that Harry was there, but Harry knew in the instant that Draco didn't leave the compartment that he had been discovered. Harry waited with baited breath assuming that the worst was coming and in a way he was right. Draco saw fit to punish Harry by stunning him and covering him with his invisibility cloak. No one would ever know that Harry was still there. Draco smirked and left the compartment thoroughly self-satisfied.

Harry on the other hand, felt nothing but self-loathing at the moment. 'How could I have gotten myself into this mess!' He was screaming in his mind but his voice would not cooperate.

"Wotcher, Harry!" came Tonk's voice as she pulled his invisibility cloak away. With a flash of red light his body relaxed and he released a sigh. He was saved.

"How did you know I was here?" Harry questioned as they made their way to the platform.

"I didn't see you leave the train so I thought something may have happened. When I saw the blinds drawn on this compartment I took an educated guess," She answered once they had landed on the platform.

"Who did it?" She questioned as they made their way out of Hogsmeade station and on towards the castle.

"Malfoy," Harry replied with a grimace.

"I see, better put your cloak back on Harry," She responded and sent a Patronus towards the school. Harry grimaced once more as Tonks handed him off to Snape. The odds were simply not in his favor this evening.

The Great Hall was breathtaking to say the least and certainly a sight

for sore eyes for those who were returning. The enchanted ceiling displayed the glorious night sky, stars twinkling brightly in the clear and inky blackness of night, like small beacons of hope in a world of darkness.

The Headmaster's speech, and aptly so, was one of foreboding. It was somber and sobered many students there, but true to Dumbledore fashion, there was a twinkle in his eye as he shifted his speech toward the arrival of new students.

Hermione watched with a smile as the first years were sorted, clapping with the others as Gryffindor gained several new students. She truly was pleased to be here once more. Here where she felt most comfortable, most at home.

As the feast began she cast a nervous glance around, looking for Harry, who still had not shown up, when her eyes landed on Malfoy. She assessed him cooly, brown eyes taking in his poised appearance. She subconsciously raised an eyebrow as she looked him over. He looked different, more mature somehow. He had grown into his features over the summer. He was taller, more filled in, and his hair a bit longer. As she watched him his eyes found hers and for a moment they were they were the only two people in the room. It was his eyes, she decided, that held her interest. He had a look in his eyes that should only be viewed on the face of someone much older than his sixteen years. Merlin, he was attractive. And then she was raising her eyebrow at herself. He was attractive? Where had that come from? He wasn't attractive. He was a foul, loathsome little git, which was reinforced when he sneered at her and looked away.

She shook her head to rid herself of her unwelcome thoughts and noticed Harry walking towards them.

"Harry," she said in greeting, "where have you been? We've been worried sick!"

Ron nodded along, unable to say anything with a mouth full of chicken. Harry blushed and ducked his head.

"Malfoy," He muttered as he gathered food on to his plate only to have it disappear a few moments later. He sighed but dug in as dessert appeared.

"What did the fit do this time?" Ron questioned, having swallowing his mouthful, as he loaded his plate with treacle tart, mince pies, and trifle.

"Later," Harry replied.

"Harry, what did he do? What happened?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Just leave it, Hermione," Harry replied a bit harshly. Hermione frowned but didn't push the issue any further. Within a few minutes Harry's mood had drastically improved and the three friends were laughing over lighthearted conversation. Malfoy temporarily forgotten.

Draco dug in as the feast appeared, eager to be alone in his bed where he could begin planning the headmaster's demise. He cringed at his thoughts. He didn't want to kill the headmaster, but what choice did he have? As he contemplated his task he felt the creeping sensation of being watched. He looked up from his plate and found a pair of beautiful brown orbs staring at him.

For a moment he returned her stare, looking her over as intensely as she appeared to be looking at him. Granger had changed, even he could see that she was not the same buck-toothed, bushy haired twelve year old he had started school with. Her hair was far more tame than it had once been, falling in soft curls down her back. Her teeth were fixed, giving her a near perfect smile, and her creamy skin was flawless. It was the look in her eyes though, that captured him. They held a depth and wisdom which he was not accustomed to seeing, but more than that it was her look of compassion which drew him in and threatened to lose him. They were mesmerizing and beautiful. And then he realized the path his thoughts were taking him down and he fixed a sneer on his face before looking away, returning his attention to his friends once more. Mudbloods were NOT beautiful.

As dessert disappeared Dumbledore prepared to give his proper welcoming speech. He began with the usual warnings and reminders. Check with your house team captains for Quidditch, review the list posted at Filch's door for items which are banned, and as always the Forbidden Forest is forbidden. He then went on to announce that Professor Slughorn was returning to his post as potions master. This, of course, caused quite a disturbance among the students and led to a rather loud murmur of confused conversation, which only grew louder when Dumbledore announced that Professor Snape would be taking over Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry in Particular was quite outraged, hoping for Snape's demise. Dumbledore cleared his throat to quiet the students and then carried on as though he had not delivered rather scandalous news. He finished his speech with a warning. Reminding the students that in light of Lord Voldemort's return it was truly imperative that the students follow all rules set to them by their teachers. Then he with a "pip, pip" he sent the students off to their dorms.

A loud scraping followed as the students got up from their seats. Ron was already badgering Harry, wanting to know why he was late.

"Not now, wa-" Harry was saying as Hermione cut him off.

"Prefect duties, Ron!" Ron rolled his eyes but followed her anyway.

"Right, firsties with us!" Ron hollered, waving his hand to be seen. A line of timid and scared eleven year olds began forming a line in front of Hermione who was waiting to lead them to Gryffindor tower. Ron fell back to the end of the line, eager to return to his conversation with Harry.

"So tell me, what happened?" Ron questioned, falling in step with Harry.

"I used my cloak to slip into their compartment behind Blaise after Slughorn's little party. I hid up in the luggage rack," Harry said, looking around to make sure no one else was listening.

"Yea, but why were you late?" Ron asked impatiently.

"I'm getting to that," Harry replied. "I heard Malfoy bragging about some task to Blaise, said it was for Voldemort. I couldn't very well leave until they left so I waited. I'm not sure how he knew, but Malfoy knew I was there. He stunned me once everyone was gone and covered me with my cloak. If it wasn't for Tonks I'd be halfway back to London. You know what this means right? He must have taken his father's place."

"Come off it mate, he was probably just showing off for Parkinson and Zabini,"

"How do you know? Maybe Voldemort needs someone inside Hogwarts." Ron gave an involuntary shudder at the use of the Dark Lord's name.

"Maybe, but doesn't he have Snape for that? Besides what good would a sixteen year old do him?"

"I've been summoned by Professor Dumbledore. You'll have to take them the rest of the way," Hermione said, effectively ending their conversation.

"What does he want?" Harry asked.

"No, idea. It just says to see him in his office and that he enjoys lemon drops," she responded, showing him the note as Ron moved to the front to continue leading the first years to Gryffindor tower.

"I'll find you when I'm done," Hermione assured Harry before turning around and heading off towards Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, Ms. Granger, welcome. Please, have a seat," Professor Dumbledore said, greeting Hermione as she entered her office.

"Good evening Professor," Hermione responded as she sat in a chair opposite of Dumbledore.

"You must be wondering why I have called you hear this evening."

"Yes Professor."

"I trust that Mr. Potter has shared the contents of the prophecy with you?" Here Hermione nodded, waiting for Dumbledore to continue. "And would I also be correct in assuming that you felt it necessary to find a way to protect Mr. Potter? Possibly even attempt to ensure that Mr. Potter would not die?"

"Yes, Professor." Hermione took a moment to marvel at her Professor's deductive abilities.

"Would I also be correct in assuming that you were successful, that you have consumed Praesidium?" He asked peering at her over his half-moon spectacles.

"Yes, Professor, you would," she responded with a nod, "how did you know?"

"When you know what the effects are it becomes easy to spot them. Now, I am also going to assume that you have not yet shared your experiment with Mr. Potter or Mr. Weasley."

"No, sir, I haven't. I didn't want to get his hopes up." She said, shaking her head.

"I think, my dear, that it is not only time for you to share this news with your friends but also time for you to share this protection with them. What you have done could prove to be invaluable to Mr. Potter."

"Yes, sir."

"Right, well it's getting late and I have kept you from your bed for quite long enough, but know that I am here should you require any assistance."

"Thank you sir," Hermione said. She took her leave of his office then, heading to Gryffindor tower at a near run to avoid breaking curfew. She arrived at the portrait of the fat lady just in time, giving the password, veritas, before slipping through the portrait hole.

Fortunately, she didn't need to look far. Both Harry and Ron were seated in the common room, occupying a couch in front of the fireplace.

"What did he want?" Harry questioned as soon as she sat down.

"He wanted to discuss a potion I took this summer." She responded somewhat evasively.

"What potion?" Ron questioned, brows furrowing. Hermione glanced around before lowering her voice to respond.

"After the incident at the ministry I started thinking about Harry and how best to help protect him so I went to the-"

"Library," Harry and Ron interrupted, looks of amusement on their faces.

Hermione rolled her eyes but continued on, "the library at Grimmauld Place. It turns out there was a hidden compartment on one of the shelves which I happened to stumble upon, which was really quite fortunate. It turns out the Black family was not full of only Dark wizards. I found a rather old text of protective spells and potions. One in particular caught my eye. It's called Praesidium. It can only be taken by a witch but once it has been taken it gives the witch shield like abilities and also causes those around her to be happy. Sort of the opposite of a Dementor."

"So, that's why we've been so happy lately?" Harry questioned.

"Probably. The best part is, I can share my abilities with you."

"Wicked. How?" Ron asked

"Through an incantation and physical contact, but I'm nervous. It's very tricky and can be quite disastrous if not performed correctly."

"I'm sure you'll do it correctly. How does the shield work?" said Harry.

"Thank you," Hermione said with a smile, "It's a bit like throwing a hex at a giant. The spell would simply bounce off. It doesn't protect against unforgivables but will protect against most everything else."

"Hermione, that's brilliant! When can you perform the spell?" asked Ron.

"It won't be permanent, I'll have to perform it each morning, but we could give it a go this weekend. That way I can practice before we try."

Harry and Ron responded with smiles before asking more questions about her discovery. Hermione was pleased to be able to help but truly nervous about performing the sharing ritual. If she said the incantation wrong she could cause them serious harm. Wizards had died. Although it was unlikely that she would kill them, it had only occurred once according to the text, it still left her anxious. There was also the possibility that they would become addicted. She wasn't as worried about Ron, whom had always been loved. She was, however, worried that Harry might become addicted to the feeling of the Praesidium magic coursing through his veins. It had been known to happen several times in the past, but having Dumbledore's support helped to reassure her.


	2. First Days

A/N: Thank you to those that have shown an interest in this story! I hope that you continue to enjoy it :-)

Also, please note that xxxxx will denote mature content in the following scene.

First Days

Draco's first class of the new term was Ancient Runes, he and Granger were the only ones from their respective houses to take the class and were rather unfortunately paired together. He felt somewhat odd around her, happy in a way that was almost unsettling. He stayed as far away as the space would allow, attempting to clear his muddled head. Next was Defense Against the Dark Arts and he was pleased to have Professor Snape for the subject. The only downside was sharing the class with Gryffindors. His next class was Arithmancy, where he was fortunately one of two Slytherins and so not forced to sit with her again. He was disappointed but not at all surprised to discover that they would also be taking potions together.

He was relieved to walk into his final course of the day. He was tired already and knew that he would still have to devote time to his "task", not to mention all of the homework he would need to work on as well. Fortunately there were only twelve students in the class, four Slytherins, four Ravenclaws, three ridiculous Gryffindors, and one lone Hufflepuff. So naturally they all sat with their housemates, the Gryffindors taking in the puff.

Professor Slughorn proved to be an altogether different brand of Professor than Snape had been. For starters, there were several potions brewing when they entered the room. Then, there was the fact that he was impressed with Granger, something Professor Snape had adamantly refused. Finally, there was the little bottle of Felix Felicis which had been offered as a reward for the days lesson, again something Professor Snape never would have offered. Most surprising, however, was the Amortentia. He was surprised at his response to the potion- he could smell parchment, old books, and a hint of vanilla. He couldn't place the smell, or rather he didn't know to whom the smell belonged, but he knew that he was both intrigued and enticed. He was even more surprised to hear Granger's description of the potion.

"…and it's supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us. For instance, I can smell the woody smell of a broomstick, parchment, mint, and…" here her enthusiasm trailed off, blushing as she flashed him a glance and looked away. Her response made him grit his teeth. He should be disgusted. He was almost certain she was talking about him. It should have made him feel nauseous, should have irked him, and while he wanted to be all of those things, he found that he was only curious. She was supposed to hate him just as much as he despised her. And yet, it would seem, that she did not. In fact, it seemed to him, if her response was any evidence, that she was actually attracted to him. Try as he might he just could not muster the proper reaction to this bit of information. He found himself wondering at her attraction. How long had she been attracted to him? What was she attracted to? How could she be attracted to him? Why was she attracted? What had changed? Why did he even care?

"What do you smell Draco?" Pansy whispered, smiling flirtatiously, interrupting his thoughts. He did his best not to grimace. He knew she was expecting to hear that he smelled lavender, earl grey tea, and silk; that he smelled her. Part of him wanted to tell her the truth, tell her that he smelled someone else altogether, smelled someone who instantly made him feel at home in a way he had not ever felt at home before. He chose instead to lie, to continue the comfortable facade which he had so carefully crafted.

"I smell you, of course." He responded with a wink. Across from him, Theodore Nott made a whipping noise and sniggered to Blaise.

Pansy turned to the boys across from her sneering as she whispered, "You're just jealous."

This in turn caused Theo and Blaise to laugh harder and Blaise to mutter, "Not bloody likely."

"And now it is time for us to start our work." Professor Slughorn said releasing his students to begin brewing Draught of Living Death. Draco was determined to brew it perfectly. He desperately needed to win the Felix Felicis. He knew that having Felix on his side would help him to be successful in his task. He just had to concentrate, a task which proved to be more difficult than it should. Every time he tried to focus on the task at hand he found himself distracted once more by the smell of parchment, old books, and vanilla, which was odd because Professor Slughorn had vanished the other potions that were brewing when they arrived. It was near the end of class, his potion a marginally passable attempt at best, when he put two and two together. It was her.

Granger brushed past him, head down, eyes peeking up at him through a curtain of soft curls, with a muttered "sorry" as she cleaned up her ingredients and that was when he realized. His eyes bugged as the implications of this realization hit him. His first thought was that she was rather beautiful, peering up at him. He shuddered at that. He should not be thinking about her that way.

"Ugh, watch it filthy mudblood." Pansy hissed, mistaking Draco's look for disgust. Granger turned her head and pursed her lips but otherwise gave no indication that she was affected by or in fact, had even heard Pansy's cutting remark. He wasn't sure how he felt about Pansy's comment. It was hard for him to see Granger that way. It had been for some time now, though he would never admit to feeling that way, certainly not with him back, spies everywhere. His eyes connected with Granger's and he automatically sneered. His face reacted without a thought, the sneer ready before he decided that it should be his response. Her lips quirked into a frown at his reaction and he quickly turned his attention back to tidying his ingredients before his mind could begin to wonder why she was frowning at him. Before he could begin to analyze the past day to discover the precise moment that the dynamic between them had begun to change.

Hermione smiled as she sat down for breakfast. She was back in her element, excited as always to begin her courses, to acquire more knowledge to assimilate into her already robust arsenal. As she poured herself a cup of tea and began eating her oatmeal she found her eyes wandering to the Slytherin table in search of that all too familiar shock of platinum hair. It didn't take long to find him, sitting closely with Pansy, Crabbe to his right, Zabini and Goyle across from him. She couldn't explain why but she felt herself inexplicably drawn to him. There was just something different about him this year, something which intrigued her. She studied him through veiled eyes, her hair providing the perfect cover. She watched as Pansy pawed at him, watched him laugh at something Zabini said, though she noted it seemed almost forced and most certainly didn't reach his eyes.

"…see how he flinched?" She heard, Harry's voice breaking through her Malloy laced thoughts.

"Maybe he just doesn't like Parkinson touching him. I know I wouldn't." Ron said with a grimace.

"You didn't hear him yesterday. He was-" but what he was they did not discover for at that moment they saw Professor McGonagall approaching, ready to distribute schedules.

"Ms. Granger, excellent work on your OWLs, " Professor McGonagall complimented her, " you are cleared for all of the subjects for which you applied." She said tapping a blank schedule with her wand. She handed the schedule to Hermione, who grabbed her things and darted off to her first class.

In Ancient Runes she was the only Gryffindor and so she was partnered with Malfoy as he was the only Slytherin in class. She tried not to take it personally that he sat about as far away from her as their table would allow, reminding herself that she likely would have done the same until just yesterday. Even now it was only her thirst for knowledge, her insatiable need to understand which caused her interest. She used this opportunity to take a closer look at him. She noticed that his typically sleek and styled hair was longer than it had been and not as slick as it had once been causing it to fall into his eyes as he worked on the translations they had been given, She also noted that he seemed, if possible, paler than normal and frowned at this realization. She wasn't sure why it bothered her, perhaps it was simply not knowing, but it bothered her to see him in this less than perfect state. It simply didn't fit with her version of him, the version who had taunted and bullied her for the first five and a half years of school.

She continued to puzzle over him as she completed her translations and was surprised when Professor Babbling announced that time was up and began assigning homework. Once they were dismissed she quickly gathered her things and started walking towards Defense Against the Dark Arts. She was not looking forward to Professor Snape teaching the course but was happy that he kept his abuse to a minimum. After DADA she had Arithmancy, yet another course she shared with Malfoy, but fortunately she was paired with a Ravenclaw. They were assigned a 15 inch essay and six equations for homework, so it was with a relieved sigh that she shouldered her bag and began walking towards the dungeon for her final course of the day, potions. She greeted Harry and Ron with a smile and followed them into the dungeon classroom.

Hermione was surprised to smell several potions brewing as they entered the room. Almost immediately one potion stood out to her. She saw the characteristic spirals of steam and mother-of-pearl like sheen of Amortentia brewing in one of the cauldrons, but it was what she smelled which truly caught her off guard. She was certain that if she had smelled the Amortentia over the summer she would have smelled freshly mown grass, new parchment, and spearmint. She would have smelled Ron, whom she only recently, just this past summer, realized she had feelings for. So she was rather discomfited to discover that she smelled something else and it wasn't until she was describing what she smelled to Professor Slughorn that she realized what, or rather who she was smelling. That smell had been with her since Ancient Runes. It was him emitting the most enticing scent. Parchment, wood, mint, and leather. And for the briefest of moments their eyes connected before she looked away, heat brushing her cheeks with a blush.

Hermione felt herself reeling from the realization. Whatever this attraction was she hadn't been prepared for it. She puzzled at her attraction for him not able to fully concentrate on brewing Draught of Living Death with him sitting at the table just behind her. It was therefore not a surprise when her Draught came out less than perfect. She was, however, surprised when Harry did produce a near perfect Draught.

As she was clearing her supplies and tidying up she brushed past Malfoy, connecting with him for the briefest of moments. A moment which was utterly ruined by Pansy calling her a mudblood. She pursed her lips, studying Malfoy's reaction. His brows briefly knit together, as though he wasn't sure what to think, before his features finally settled on a sneer. She chose to ignore both of them and carried on with putting away her supplies, still puzzling over her apparent attraction to the blonde menace.

The three Gryffindors gathered their things after being dismissed and headed for the corridor, Hermione's thoughts now straying to Harry and the little bottle of liquid luck.

"How did you do that?" She asked with a puzzled frown, her eyebrows knit together, as they walked back to Gryffindor tower.

"I told you, someone scribbled all over the book Professor Slughorn lent to me. Turns out, they know a thing or two." Hermione pursed her lips, trying to recall when he made any mention of notes in a book, but was only able to recall Malfoy and his all too enticing scent.

"Right." She replied, still frowning in puzzlement over the direction of her thoughts.

"So have you practiced the spell?" Ron asked, changing the topic.

"I've been in class all day, I'm practicing this evening." Which reminded her that she would need to practice the spell for sharing her magic with Harry and Ron. If she performed the spell correctly then they would share her abilities for about a day, with the protections slowly decreasing across the day. If she made an error, even a small one, she could cause serious bodily injury to her friends.

"Veritas" Harry said to the Fat Lady, gaining entrance to their common room. Here they parted ways, Hermione headed towards the sanctuary of her bed, promising to meet them in an hour for dinner. She intended to draw her curtains, cast a silencing charm and practice until it was perfect.

xxxxx

Pansy moaned as he thrust into her once more. Thank Merlin for silencing charms. Pansy had pounced almost as soon as they left potions, taking his hand and leading him back to their common room and then onto his dorm. The moment the door had closed her lips were on his, taking what they wanted without question, without bothering to ask if he wanted her. He, of course, acquiesced to her demands, as he always did, taking advantage of the opportunity for release. He pounded into her, taking little care with her, trying not to think of Granger. Yet every time his eyes shut, there she was, soft curls framing her face as she bit her luscious lip.

He tried to shake her off to focus on Pansy as he thrust his way towards release, but all he could see was her. He found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss her, to have his hands on her. And then he was picturing her on top of him, riding him for her pleasure. He moved even faster as he imagined wrapping her legs around his waist, her back against the wall, moaning his name over and over. He came hard, driving himself into Pansy with a final deep thrust, panting in satisfied exhaustion. He laid down next to her, working to catch his breath

"Draco, that was…" Pansy said trailing off as she leaned down to kiss him. "I think that's the best it's ever been." She cuddled into him wrapping her arm across his middle. He tried not to pull a face as she pressed herself into him. He knew that she had feelings for him, knew that she expected them to be married someday, but he just couldn't see it. He knew that he had a role to play and had always dutifully some so, but if he was honest, he had never truly wanted the witch next to him. He had always imagined that he would leave Hogwarts and then meet someone whom he would want to marry. He supposed that wasn't really a possibility with him back, and for the first time he found himself seriously rooting for Potter.

Draco pulled himself away from Pansy and stood to get dressed. She frowned at his absence but didn't comment, just started pulling on her discarded clothes.

"Walk me down to dinner?" She questioned, offering her hand. He took it in his, holding it loosely as they walked down to the Great Hall.

"Malum Praesidium" Hermione said clearly, her wand in her right hand. She smiled then as her left hand began to glow. She had finally gotten the incantation and wand movement just right. She knew she would want to practice more before attempting it with her friends but at least she had a good start. She joined her hands allowing her magic to flow back into herself, then hopped off her bed and walked towards the common room. She knew Harry and Ron would be waiting, she was running late, but she had felt certain that she almost had it and wanted to try one more time. Fortunately her persistence had paid off.

"Oh thank Merlin!" Ron exclaimed as she came down the stairs. "I'm starving!"

Hermione laughed as she approached.

"When aren't you starving?" Harry asked as the three of them walked out of the portrait hole.

"Fair point." Ron replied with a laugh.

"Did you figure it out?" Harry asked her as they rounded the corner, taking the stairs down to the Great Hall. She smiled and nodded, excited to share her success.

"Yes, that's why I was late. I got it on the last try. I still want to practice though before I try with you and Ron."

"Of course you do." Harry responded with a smile. "I was thinking we could use the room of requirement for the transfer when you're ready."

"That could work." Ron said, chiming in. Hermione nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, I was thinking that that might work well for us. I should be ready by Saturday."

"Excellent." Ron said with a grin.

They continued on towards the Great Hall, discussing their classes and plans for the first Hogsmeade trip in a moth, arriving at the Great Hall a few minutes later and taking their regular seats. Not long after her eyes wandered toward the entrance. What she saw made her feel an emotion she wasn't sure she wanted to identify. Hermione saw Pansy clinging to Malfoy's arm and it made her feel…envious. Her eyes traveled up, seeking his face, and she was pleased to see that he seemed uncomfortable with Pansy's grip. And then she frowned, because why should she care at all about the relationship between Malfoy and Pansy? She didn't like feeling this way, having this attraction to him.

She couldn't figure out what it was that was drawing her to him, but there was something there. She continued to watch him as she had all day. Absorbing every new detail about him and finding herself impossibly, inexplicably, wanting him. She wanted to walk into the Great Hall on his arm, wanted to have his attention on her, wanted to have his hands on her, have his lips kissing hers.

"Oi! Earth to Hermione." Ron said breaking into her Malfoy induced haze.

"Sorry," she apologized with a blush, "I was just thinking about the transfer." She lied. Merlin only knows how angry Harry and Ron would be if they knew the direction her thoughts had really gone. She glanced Malfoy's way once more and felt pleased to see him looking at her. She smiled to herself beforehand forcing herself to return her attention to Harry and Ron. There would be plenty of time to analyze her attraction to Malfoy's later.


	3. Wanton Nights

Wanton Nights

xxxxx

A few weeks later, on a Friday evening, Hermione found herself lost in thought as she roamed the dimly lit corridors, performing her prefect duties. She had been wandering the halls for over an hour, monitoring for students breaking curfew. She found a couple of seventh years snogging in a broom closet and a few second years in a classroom plotting to make use of some of Fred and George's more troublesome products, but it had otherwise been a relatively quiet night. It was the kind of night that allowed her the opportunity to lose herself in her thoughts and thoroughly analyze an issue. On this particular night she found her thoughts straying toward a certain platinum haired, silver eyed, sexy Slytherin.

She could not seem to stop her thoughts from straying to him, no matter how she tried to distract herself with thoughts of school work or her friends or Voldemort. All thoughts led back to Malfoy. It didn't help that they shared absolutely every class, giving her almost no reprieve from his presence. The fact that he was so different this year hadn't escaped her notice either, nor did it help her keep her mind off of him. He was so much more withdrawn, not at all like his typically arrogant self. He hadn't uttered a single nasty word to her and he was even rather agreeable during Ancient Runes, the one class from which they could not escape interaction with each other. Though she attributed that more to the Praesidium than an actual change in his feelings towards her. She figured that he was as much a victim to its effects as anyone else, feeling naturally calmer in her presence.

She gave a small shriek as an invisible hand grabbed her and pulled her into an empty and seldom used classroom.

"Harry!" She admonished in the loudest whisper she dared as he removed his invisibility cloak . "What are yo-" she was cut off as his lips came crashing down on hers in a demanding kiss, his hands gripping her waist.

"Harry we can't, I have prefect duties." She responded, breaking away, her hands coming up to his chest, attempting to put a bit of space between them.

"Let the other prefects handle it, we won't be long," he said, kissing her again, "Please 'Mione," he pleaded, dropping kisses along her jaw and down her neck, "I need you."

As Harry continued to kiss her neck, she felt her resolve begin to waver. Hermione sighed as he nipped and kissed her neck. She could feel herself weakening, her determination not to indulge him withering away as his lips gently sucked the sensitive skin of her neck, causing heat to pool between her legs. She pulled his face up to hers and kissed him, submitting to his demands. Harry immediately responded, lifting her up and wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her to the closest desk. He sat her gingerly on the table as he continued to kiss her. Not wasting any time, his hands moved to her robes, his deft, seeker's fingers made quick work of the clasp and then they were gone, pooled around her waist.

One of her hands tangled in his hair as the other moved to his belt. As she unbuckled his belt, working to free his hardened member, his hands moved under her skirt to remove her knickers. She moaned as she felt his fingers tease her clit, aching with want, images of a certain blonde Slytherin coming unbidden into her mind. His face danced across the back of her eyelids and in her mind Malfoy was taking her, teasing her with his expert fingers, caressing her flesh. She fantasized that it was Malfoy kissing her, his fingers wandering her skin, making it tingle with desire.

Her hand moved over Harry's cock, pumping the hardened flesh in her fist. She pulled him to her, positioning him at her entrance. He kissed her as he entered her and she knew that she was not the only one seeing someone else's face, feeling someone else's touch. She moaned into his kiss as he filled her. He grabbed her hips and pulled her closer as he began moving in her. Her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist as he pounded into her, moving quickly bringing each of them closer to that moment of ecstasy. She threw her head back as she came, moaning loudly. He continued moving, pounding harder with each thrust as he moved towards his own undoing. He followed her shortly, burrying his face in her curls as he came. He held her for a few moments longer as they both caught their breath.

Lifting his head, he gave her a smile as he tucked himself back in and buckled his belt. Hermione adjusted her robes, returning his smile as she hopped off the desk. Harry kissed her cheek and muttered a "Thank you."

Hermione gave him a gentle nod of her head before saying, "We agreed this wouldn't keep happening."

"I know and it won't. It's just, I saw her with him and I…" Harry responded trailing off, looking somewhat sheepish.

"I know, it's ok." Replied Hermione as they walked towards the door. Harry gave her a small smile before slipping his invisibility cloak back on and heading into the hall to make his way back to Gryffindor tower.

Hermione sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she set out to resume her duties. She knew she shouldn't continue to indulge her friend, but it was hard not to when she was every bit as lonely as he was. The first time it happened had been shortly after the incident at the ministry. Harry felt guilty and terribly sad over the loss of his godfather. He had also realized a little too late just how much Ginny meant to him. These things combined with a stolen bottle of firewhiskey and Hermione's attempts to console him led to the two friends sleeping together. It had happened several times after that first night but they had agreed that once they returned to school they wouldn't continue their trysts. And they wouldn't, she silently assured herself. She couldn't continue to allow herself to be used by or to use Harry. It wasn't right and it would only hurt them in the long run. Not to mention what would happen if either Ron or Ginny ever found out. She shuddered to think of their reaction. Either one would feel hurt and betrayed and neither would understand their reasons, nor would they believe that the two friends truly felt nothing romantic for each other.

No, this definitely could not happen anymore. It would be far better if they simply returned to being friends.

ooooo

Friday evening found Draco roaming the halls of Hogwarts, dutifully performing his prefect duties enjoying the only perk of doing them with Granger, time to himself. They had established a rule early on during their fifth year, whenever they were paired for rounds, they did them separately. They were supposed to do them in pairs but a mutual loathing meant that they agreed to bend the rules in this one area. The first time they had been assigned as a pair they had tried to switch partners but their heads of house had been adamant that the partners were set and no switching would be allowed. Draco and Hermione had grudgingly completed their duties as a pair that night but they had argued the entire time, accomplishing nothing and nearly coming to drawing wands. When they were finished they decided that they would never again patrol together. They would always patrol separately and thus avoid any further confrontation. They had been fortunate up to this point and had not been discovered by any of the teachers who would have surely taken points or given them detention for violating the rules. Draco was pleased to continue their arrangement this year, not at all eager to spend any more time with the witch than he was already forced to spend with her. It was bad enough to have every class with her but it would have been unbearable to be forced to do prefect duties with her as well.

So tonight had started as any other would, she set out to patrol their assigned halls and he waited ten minutes before doing the same, assuring that they would at no point be forced to patrol together but close enough to pair up should one of them stumble upon a professor. He was grateful for the time to think, grateful for time away from her. There was something very different about her this year. She had changed physically, that much was obvious, she had matured, grown more beautiful, but it was more than that. There was something inherently different about her. It was something which muddled his thoughts and yet made him feel calm, happy even, which given his current assignment, wasn't all that helpful. In fact, it was bordering on annoying. He didn't want to be happy. He had no right to feel happy given what he was supposed to do this year, and so being around her just confused him and distracted him. He couldn't focus, couldn't think. He found himself desiring her.

He wanted to shag her, yes, wanted to ravish her body, but more than that he found himself simply wanting her. He found himself looking forward to Ancient Runes just for that hour of compassionate and kind contact from another person. Sure he had Pansy, but she was not particularly nice to him. She wasn't mean to him certainly but any kindness she gave him came with the expectation that he would be doing something for her in return. Granger was different. She was unconditionally kind to him. It was something he was completely unused to, and not entirely comfortable with. He couldn't seem to reconcile his once hatred of her with his newfound desire to have her, to claim her as his, but nevertheless it was there, unwilling to abate.

Fortunately it had been a quiet night and he hadn't come across anyone breaking the rules. He was therefore rather surprised to hear the unmistakable sounds of some couple having sex. He smirked to himself as he pushed the classroom door open ready to dish out punishment, but was utterly unprepared for the sight that greeted him on the other side of the door. The object of his confusion was wrapped around scarhead, moaning as he shagged her. His first thought was that she looked sexy as hell. His second thought was that he should leave before they realized he was there. He walked back out of the room and down the hall putting some distance between them. He couldn't believe that Granger of all people would do something like that. It would seem as though the little minx was just full of surprises this year. He smirked again as he thought of confronting her. Oh how he could not wait to see the look on her face when she found out that he had seen her and Potter together.

ooooo

Harry crept as quietly as he could back towards Gryffindor tower and the warmth of his bed. He was hoping Ron would be asleep by the time he made it back. He did not relish the idea of trying to come up with some lie to explain where he had been. He didn't particularly like keeping secrets from his friend but he knew Ron wouldn't understand. He knew that this information could only serve to hurt Ron and so they had chosen never to tell him. At one point Harry had been certain that Hermione had feelings for Ron, but since they had been back at school he wasn't so certain anymore.

He knew that they needed to stop before someone found out. He knew that this truly had to be the last time. It had started over the summer on a night when all he wanted was to feel something other than hollow grief. He had not at all been prepared to lose Sirius. It wasn't fair. They had only had such a short time to be a family and had had no time to be a proper family. More than that he felt such extreme guilt over luring him to the ministry. If he hadn't been so stupid and reckless his godfather might still be here. He might still have an actual home.

Harry hadn't intended for his first time to be with his best friend when he was drunk. He had always intended for his first time to be with a girl he was in love with but his weakness found him in the arms of Hermione, giving himself to her in an attempt to close the gaping wound left festering by his empty heart. He sought her out many more times that summer, always seeking the comfort that her warm flesh provided, always wishing she was Ginny. They had agreed that they would stop before returning to school but seeing Ginny kissing Dean in the common room had just been more than he could handle which led him to seek her comfort yet again.

Harry whispered the password to the fat lady and snuck through the portrait hole. He was grateful not to meet anyone in the common room or on the stairs leading up to the sanctuary of his bed.

ooooo

For the second time that night a hand came out of nowhere to grab her. Hermione shrieked as Draco dragged her into another seldom used, dusty, classroom. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for shagging in a classroom." Draco drawled, releasing his grip on her.

"What are you on about?" She replied through gritted teeth, "I thought we agreed we wouldn't patrol together? And you aren't allowed to take points from me."

"I saw you," he said, taking a step towards her.

"What exactly did you see?" Hermione asked, color draining from her face, silently cursing herself for not ensuring that the door was locked and silencing charms were cast. Anyone could have walked in on them. Of course it had to be Malfoy, but truly they were lucky it hadn't been a Professor.

"I saw you and Potter shagging." He replied, taking another step towards her, closing the gap between them. "I saw how much you enjoyed being fucked like a slag." He whispered as he tucked a curl behind her ear and trailed his fingers down her cheek to rest on her chin.

"You can't tell anyone." She whispered , trying to fight the blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"Of course I can," he replied confidently, still not releasing her chin, "but who would believe that the swot was capable of such debauchery and rule breaking."

"I am not a swot!" She responded with a frown.

"You are but that's not the point. Potter? Really Granger?" He asked, raising his eyebrow as he did. Her frown deepened in response.

"What do you care?" Came her defensive reply. She tugged her chin out of his grasp and turned away from him, facing a window which happened to look out on the lake. It's surface was smooth and reflected the light of the moon like a mirror. Really, why should he care who she shagged? It wasn't as though he was interested in shagging her, so what businesses did he have caring who she banged.

"I don't. I just thought you had more self respect than to allow Potter to shag you." He responded, closing the distance between them once more.

"What's wrong with Harry?" She wanted to know, and turned to face him again.

"He's not-" _not me_ is what he found himself wanting to say. He wanted to tell her that he couldn't get her out of his head no matter how he tried. That he couldn't stop thinking about her. That every time he fucked Pansy he saw her, wished it was her. He wanted to tell her that he wanted her, needed her. Needed to feel her in his arms, feel his lips pressed to hers, feel her legs wrapped around his waist, but he didn't tell her any of those things. Instead he said, "he's not good enough for you," and brought his hand up to her face again. There was a very small part of him which considered tasting her.

"How's that exactly?" Her brow furrowed as she frowned. It made no sense to her that Draco should care about her sex life. It made even less sense to her that he kept touching her and looking at her as though he was going to kiss her.

"You deserve far more than some bumbling idiot who doesn't know your nub from your nipple or what to do with either." He said brushing her lips with his thumb.

She brought her hands to her hips, brows furrowing in confusion, "I still don't see why you care who the swotty mud-"

"Don't call yourself that." He admonished, cutting her off and dropping his hand.

"Why not? You call me that all the time." She crossed her arms feeling defensive once more.

"I haven't in a long time and I never should have." He admitted quietly, pulling her to him once more. He wrapped one arm around her waist as his other hand went to her cheek again. "You're so much more than that and you deserve so much more than to be called that." He couldn't resist any longer. He had to taste her, had to know what her lips would feel like. He pulled her infinitesimally closer and leaned down to brush his lips against hers. Her eyes widened in surprise before fluttering closed. His lips pressed more firmly against hers before relaxing ever so slightly. His tongue slipped out licking her lower lip, requesting entrance. She relaxed her mouth allowing him in and he immediately deepened their kiss, pulling her closer as he did. She sighed contentedly into their kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as he continued to kiss her.


	4. Clandestine Meetings

A/N: I am stunned by the number of people who have followed/favorited this story! Thank you so much for showing your interest. I hope you continue to enjoy this story! A special thank you to those who have taken the time to review, I truly appreciate every single one. As always, JKR owns the sandbox, I just play in it. Enjoy! (and please review ;) )

Clandestine Meetings

ooooo

Hermione folded her arms across her chest, feeling defensive at Draco's remark. A frown marred her face as she said, "Why not? You call me that all the time."

She felt certain that Draco was up to something, but could not figure out what it was. Why was he suddenly interested in who she chose to sleep with and why on Earth did he have any sort of opinion about her sex life? They should have kept to the plan. She never should have indulged Harry. At the very least she should have ensured that she and Harry would have privacy. How could she have forgotten such a simple thing? A simple silencing charm would have made all the difference, or a locking charm at the very least. It would have meant that she could have continued her patrol in peace. Instead she found herself caught by Draco Malfoy of all people. She continued to glare at him, waiting for a response. She let out a soft gasp as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him once more. She could feel her heart pounding as he brought the other hand up to rest on her cheek. Her desire for him growing with every passing moment.

"I haven't called you that in a long time and I never should have." He replied softly, his brows knit together in what she could only interpret as regret. "You're so much more than that and you deserve so much more than to be called that." He kissed her then, his lips meeting hers in a searing kiss. Her eyes widened in surprise before fluttering closed. Her arms automatically wrapping around his neck, her body pressing into his.

The first thing to occur to her was that he was an excellent kisser, much better than any of the other guys she had kissed, and that included Krum. His kiss was, at first, soft and tentative, which surprised her, but quickly became hard and demanding. It was as though he couldn't get enough. The effect it had on her was immediate and visceral. She felt herself wanting to rip his clothes off, wanting to feel his naked body pressed against hers. Finally her senses returned and she brought a hand up to his chest, gently pushing him away.

"What are you doing?" She asked breathlessly.

"Kissing you." His lips returned to hers, kissing her deeply, his tongue meeting hers in an amorous duel, his hands tangling in her thick curls. She pushed him back again, struggling to regain her breath.

"Why?" She asked, panting, her heart racing.

"Why what?" He responded in between gentle kisses. His arms wrapped around her waist, effectively trapping her.

"Why are you kissing me?" She clarified. She couldn't fathom why he was kissing her. Sure they had shared a few amicable classes since the start of term and yes, she had found her self spending an inordinate amount of time thinking of him, but she had been certain that he felt only muted loathing towards her, and even then his loathing had only been weakened by the effects of her abilities.

"Because I want to." He said as he trailed kisses along her jaw.

"But why?" She could feel her cheeks flushing as he continued his kisses down her throat. She knew how wrong it all was, but part of her didn't want to stop him. Part of her wanted to wrap him in her arms and never stop kissing him.

"I already told you, because I want to." He said, kissing her yet again.

"But why now? You've never shown anything but revulsion towards me. Why on earth do you want to kiss me?"

"I don't know Granger!" He responded, throwing his hands up in frustration. "I don't know what's changed but I know that I want you and I'm tired of trying to deny it."

"What about Pansy?"

"What about Pansy?" Draco asked, confusion and frustration evident in his voice.

"Aren't you two together?"

"It's complicated," He reached out for her, pulling her into his arms again.

"I think I can keep up." She quipped. He sighed and dropped his head, then lifted it to look her in the eye as he explained.

"I have a duty to uphold a certain image, Pansy is part of that image. She and I... our families have made it fairly clear that they expect us to marry. Pansy is quite happy to accept their plans. I have always done as my parents have asked but lately...well let's just say I'm not as keen to follow their requests these days. Pansy is not who I want."

"Then why don't you leave her?" She felt almost surreal, standing in an empty classroom having hushed conversations and stolen kisses with Draco. It was like something out of a parallel world.

"That's where it gets complicated. It's not an easy thing to just go against my parents wishes. I haven't been left with much choice."

"You always have a choice." Hermione's voice was firm with conviction.

"Sometimes all you have are bad choices." His lips found hers again, kissing her slowly as though savoring the moment.

"We should really get back to patrolling." Hermione said quietly when he pulled away. She felt confused and flustered. She didn't know what to think about any of it.

"Right. Prefect duty," Draco said, shaking his head, as though he only just remembered that they were supposed to be patrolling the halls and not snogging in empty classrooms, "and Granger, this never happened."

"Agreed." She said firmly but couldn't help but feel the sting of his words and feel hurt by them.

"Right, then, shall we?" He asked gesturing for her to exit. He followed her out of the room, keeping pace beside her. They walked in silence as they continued their patrol, each lost to their own thoughts, neither brave enough to break the silence.

ooooo

The following morning found Hermione, Harry, and Ron in the room of requirement, as had become their routine. Hermione would pace in front of the bare expanse of wall three times and when the large wooden door appeared the three friends would disappear into the hidden room, keeping them and their deeds concealed from any prying eyes they might encounter. The room, as always, held a comfortable couch, not unlike the one in their common room, made from a deep red cotton fabric with squishy cushions. The coffee table, a simple rectangle on four short legs, was made from dark cherrywood and sat on a plush rug. Sconces in the wall held brightly burning candles and a fire roared in the stone fireplace situated across from the couch. It was a warm and inviting room which made the three friends feel right at home. Hermione took her seat on the middle cushion and Harry and Ron each took a side.

It had been three weeks since the first time Hermione had performed the transfer and although she now felt confident that she could perform it correctly, she still found herself feeling nervous every time she did. She thought back to the first time she had shared her magic with her friends.

 _The sun was shining brightly in the empty corridors on that Saturday morning as the three friends stole away to the room of requirement. They were lucky not to meet anyone on the way._

 _"Alright Hermione, go ahead," Harry said with a nod towards the empty wall._

 _"Me? Why me?" Hermione shook her head, a note of panic in her voice._

 _"Because you're the one who knows what kind of room we need." Ron responded. Hermione released a frustrated sigh._

 _"Oh, alright." She paced in front of the blank space three times, focusing on a place that would be comfortable and quiet. Moments later a large wooden door appeared and the three friends ducked inside. They were pleased to see such an inviting room and quickly made themselves comfortable on the couch, eager to start._

 _"So who's first?" She asked her friends, eyeing each in turn._

 _"Harry should go," Ron volunteered._

 _"Thanks mate," Harry's voice was thick with sarcasm, but he smiled and turned towards Hermione. "So, what do we do?"_

 _"All you need to do is hold my hand. This might feel a bit odd," she warned, "Malum Praesidium." Hermione's hand began to glow, the glow slowly left her hand and made its way to Harry's hand. He let out a yell and she felt him jerk as her magic touched his for the first time._

 _"What's it like?" Ron asked as they watched the glow move through Harry's hand, up his arm, slowly fading away as it traveled. Harry did his best to explain the odd sensation of having Hermione's magic mix with his own._

 _It was Ron's turn next. Hermione released Harry's hand, the transfer complete and turned towards Ron. She took his hand in hers and repeated the process._

That first time she had been terrified of performing the incantation incorrectly, terrified that she might horribly disfigure her friends. This morning, however, she found herself even more nervous than she typically was owing to her exploits the night before. Not only had she yielded to Harry's needs, but she had allowed Draco to kiss her as well. Her lips still tingled at the memory. It had been such a confusing night. She never would have dreamed that she would find herself snogging Malfoy in an empty classroom.

"Hermione! Hello!" Ron's voice came crashing through her thoughts and she could feel her face reddening even more.

"Sorry," came her soft reply, "I was lost in thought."

"Yea, we had worked that much out for ourselves, thanks," Harry replied, a hint of laughter in his voice, "Where did you go just now?"

"Nowhere really. I was just thinking about the transfer, you know how nervous I get." She lied, well partially lied. While it was true that she did get nervous, that was not where her attention truly had been.

"It will be fine. You've done it perfectly for three weeks, I can't imagine you'd cock it up now." Ron said in an attempt to soothe her. She offered him a small smile and took his hand in hers.

"You're right. Now, shall we?"

"Whenever you're ready." He replied, nodding his head in reassurance.

"Malum Praesidium," Hermione said clearly, waving her wand, giving it a flick at the end. She felt her magic warming in her hands as they began to glow. They could see her magic leaving her fingers and traveling through Ron's hands, fading as it moved up his arm and mixed with his own magic. As always he gave an involuntary smile as her magic tingled in his veins.

She let go of his hand, the transfer complete and turned to Harry, ready to perform the transfer once again. She took his large hand into hers, taking a deep breath as she did.

"Ready?" She asked and he gave a nod in reply. For the second time she uttered, "Malum Praesidium," and felt her magic warming in her hand. They watched, still as fascinated as they had been the first time, as her magic moved out of her hand and in to his. Just as Ron had, he smiled as he felt her magic tingling as it moved through his veins and mixed with his own.

"That is just the oddest sensation." Harry commented as the transfer finished.

"Does it still feel like you're foot waking up after falling asleep?" Hermione questioned.

"Pretty much." Ron answered, Harry nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, but you're happy about it." Hermione and Ron laughed at that, Harry joining in a few moments later.

The three friends stayed for awhile longer, simply enjoying the freedom of Saturday, and then when their stomachs could hold out no longer, headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

ooooo

Early Saturday morning Draco crept towards the room of requirement, careful not to be seen by any prying eyes. The dreary weather helped to conceal his trek through the castle, the corridors darkened from lack of sunlight. He had been coming here every chance he had since the start of school, trying to work out how he was going to accomplish his seemingly impossible task. He wasn't exactly a slouch with his wand, but this was Dumbledore, the only wizard who had ever inspired fear in the Dark Lord. How could he possibly hope to kill him? He knew that that was the point. The Dark Lord had no intention of him surviving this, but he had to try. His mother's life was certainly worth that. So far he had had little luck, but he was committed to finding a way. He had to, his mother was counting on him. He also knew that the Dark Lord's patience wouldn't hold. He'd have to try something soon, show that he was at the very least trying, and so he found himself once again making his way towards the hidden room. He had, as of yet, not encountered anyone else using the room, making it the perfect place to work. He was therefore surprised when he was unable to gain entrance to the room and wondered who could possibly be occupying it. Fortunately for him he didn't have to wait long. As he watched from an alcove around the corner, the door to the hidden room swung open and the trio crept out, skulking away from their clandestine meeting. One perfectly groomed eyebrow arched as he watched them walk away. Why was he not surprised to see the three of them? They were always up to something. He began to wonder what havoc they were planning to wreck when his eyes then focused in on her.

He knew that he should feel some sort of regret for his actions; he had betrayed Pansy and disobeyed his father, but the only regret he had was the pain he had caused Hermione. He had seen the hurt in her eyes when he told her to pretend that it had never happened. It had hurt him to say the words, but they had no choice. No one could know what had happened and it certainly couldn't ever be repeated. If his father found out or worse the Dark Lord, well he didn't want to think about those consequences. So he had done his best not to think about kissing her for the rest of the night, and then, of course, his dreams took revenge. He had dreamed of kissing her, holding her petite frame close to his body, feeling her curves as his hands explored her flesh, and when he woke he felt bereft, cold and alone in an empty bed, wanting nothing more than to have her there with him. After a cold shower, he had dressed and assured himself that the night before was the product of momentary weakness and wouldn't be repeated. He could not jeopardize everything for his lust, but then there she was. He could feel his resolve crumbling as he took her in, his eyes devouring every inch of her delectable form and he knew, given the opportunity, he would give in again.

He waited until the three Gryffindors had disappeared down the stairs before walking towards the now all too familiar blank expanse of wall and paced back and forth three times, concentrating on a room in which to hide his work. A slim black door appeared moments later and he made his way inside.

The room was comfortable, similar in style to his room at home. The floors were made of a dark wood. Candles were floating in groups of three in each corner, brightening the room with their flickering light. A large wooden desk was set to the far side of the room, forgotten books on it's surface. A highback, dark green, velvet armchair sat angled towards the fireplace and on the opposite wall there were three bookshelves full of books on the darkest topics imaginable. Draco selected several tomes from the bookshelves before settling into the armchair. He was determined to find something, anything, which would help him to complete his task.

ooooo

The day was a dreary one, drizzling on and off throughout the day, resulting in Harry, Ron, and Hermione being stuck inside, relegated to the activities found within. So after a leisurely breakfast the three had wandered back to the common room. Hermione, as per her usual habits, set about doing her homework and getting a head start on the work for the week ahead. She set up her materials on a the coffee table in front of the fireplace, effectively claiming the spot for the three of them. Ron and Harry took up a game of wizarding chess, sitting on the couch behind Hermione.

"Are you going to study all day?" Ron whined, interrupting Hermione's train of thought, having just crushed Harry in their game.

"Possibly," she replied, her eyes never leaving the page she was reading.

"But that's so boring," came his melodramatic response. Harry laughed at his friend.

"Are you really surprised?" Ron rolled his eyes, of course he wasn't surprised.

"Well, no, but it is boring."

"I have an idea that could be fun," Harry said, a mischievous note present in his voice.

"Oh?" Ron asked, one eyebrow raised in interest.

Harry's voice lowered as he said, "Hermione's magic is supposed to have shield abilities right?"

"Yeah, and?"

"So I was thinking, maybe we should head back to the room of requirement and try it out, see how well they work."

"I'm in, let's go! Hermione?"

"Oh, yes," she responded with a bit of a sigh, "alright."

For the second time that day the three found themselves making their way, as surreptitiously as possible, towards the room of requirement. Once again Hermione paced in front of the blank spot, calling forth a rather different room this time. When they entered they found a room which was very similar to the room they had used the previous year for their DA meetings. The space was large and open. Bookshelves lined the left wall, a pile of cushions lined the other, and a fire roared at the far end. It was the perfect practice space.

"Excellent!" Ron complimented as they walked in the room, Harry shaking his head in agreement.

"It reminds me of our DA room."

"Well I was thinking about it while thinking up the room."

"So how does this work?" Ron asked. Hermione flicked her wand, the cushions moving out from their corner and arranging themselves to soften the blow.

"It's similar to how dragonhide or a giant's skin work, spells will just sort of bounce off, or they should at least. So I thought we would start with simple jinxes. Who's first?"

"I'll go." Harry volunteered. Hermione smiled as Harry maneuvered in front of one of the cushions.

" _Stupefy_ " Hermione shouted at the same time Harry said," _Protego_!" The effect of Harry's spell was immediate, Hermione was thrown back where she fell onto the surrounding cushions.

"Harry!" She admonished, getting to her feet, "You were supposed to let me _stupefy_ you."

"Right, sorry. It was force of habit." Harry said with a laugh.

"Give your wand to Ron and let's try again." Harry, still chuckling, handed his wand to Ron, who was also laughing, and prepared to be stupefied.

Hermione raised her wand and, with a swish, said, " _stupefy_."

Harry flinched as the spell made contact, expecting to feel the jolt of being stupefied and then falling to the floor, but amazingly all that happened was the spell sort of bounced off Harry.

"Excellent!!" Ron exclaimed as he watched, "my turn." Hermione smiled and hurled a Petrificus Totalus at him. They laughed as the spell just seemed to bounce off of him. They continued to hurl jinxes and hexes at each other and were surprised that none of them stuck. Over an hour later, exhausted from laughing and spell casting, they collapsed onto the cushions that Hermione had laid out at the start.

"Well that was fun." Ron said Ashe caught his breath.

"Yes, it was,"Harry added,"we should try again tonight, see if it still works or if it's worn off."

"Good idea Harry." Hermione complimented. They made plans to return that evening and then left the room as stealthily as they had entered.


	5. Early Mornings

A/N: I'm sorry for the delay, life sort of got in the way. Enjoy!

OOOOO

Monday morning came far too soon for Draco's liking. The musty smell of last night's shag hung in the air and in the bed sheets wrapped around him. He groaned as he extricated himself from Pansy's vice like grip and headed for the shower where he could wash away her scent. He couldn't help but feel somewhat disgusted at his continued relationship with her. He knew that he was expected to carry on with this ridiculous facade but he was finding it more and more difficult to do. She had been waiting for him in his bed when he returned the night before and she pounced the moment he walked into room, kissing him insistently, her hands everywhere. In his exhaustion it had been easier to simply give in than to try to put her off as he had been. Mercifully, she was gone when he was finished showering, leaving him a few moments of peace until he would be forced to endure her company through breakfast. Unexpectedly, he found himself longing for Ancient Runes, which made him groan because he knew it was Hermione and not the class that he couldn't wait to get to.

He yawned as he grabbed his satchel and then climbed the stairs, heading towards the Great Hall for breakfast, dressed in his school robes and tie. He had been up far too late the night before, scouring the shelves in the room of requirement, working on his task. Things were not going well. His efforts thus far to find any information either in the school library or through the room of requirement had not proved fruitful. He was no farther along in solving his task than he had been at the start and it was beginning to become harder to hide that fact from his father, which in turn meant it was harder to hide that fact from the Dark Lord. He knew that the Dark Lord would not continue to tolerate his inability to take care of Dumbledore and it honestly frightened him.

He was capable of a lot of things, not all of them nice, but he wasn't capable of murder, not really, and when he failed, the Dark Lord would kill him and his mother. The threat of his mother's demise was the only thing that kept him working on this futile task. It wasn't right that she had been thrown into this life by his father. Neither he nor his mother had been given a choice, his father had made it for them. His father had followed the Dark Lord in the assumption that it would lead him and his family to further power and wealth. His father was an idiot and now he and his mother would pay the price for that idiocy. Which is why he had to try, murderer or not. He would have to produce some sort of result soon to prove that he was, at the very least, attempting to kill Dumbledore and he was dreading it.

He didn't want to kill anyone, not even his barmy headmaster, and he didn't particularly want to hurt anyone either. Unfortunately what he wanted didn't really matter and it had never mattered, not to his father anyway. Lucius was used to getting what he wanted and his wife and son were no exception. His father had always expected them to do exactly as they were told with no regard for whether it was what they wanted or not. Although it was not his father who gave the order to kill Dumbledore, he would be expected to behave just as he always had, as the dutiful son.

He tried to stifle a yawn as he reached for his tea, his eyes subconsciously began to scan the Great Hall until they found her, as had become his habit. He spotted her almost instantly amongst her friends, the dappled morning light glinting off her honey brown curls as her head shook with laughter. He found himself wanting her to be that carefree with him, laughing and enjoying herself. He wanted her to casually touch him the way she did her friends, truly enjoying his company. As he continued to stare his eyes focused in on her lips. He longed to taste those lips again, feel their satiny smoothness as they molded to his. He wanted to feel her beneath his fingertips as they explored every luscious inch of her skin.

Next to him he could hear the whining drone of Pansy's voice, but he could not seem to find the will to pay attention to her vapid drivel. He was far too lost in thoughts of satin smooth lips pressed against his, long legs wrapped around his waist as he fucked her. It had been two weeks, which had seemed an eternity, since he had kissed Hermione in that empty classroom. In that time he had he had replayed those few stolen moments a thousand times and yet she seemed utterly unaffected, which was his own fault for telling her to pretend it had never happened. It had become increasingly difficult to be near her in classes but never able to touch her and it was becoming increasingly difficult to pretend with Pansy. He was finding it harder to allow her in his bed when every time that he did he wished that it was Hermione instead. Every time he kissed her he was imagining those few moments he shared with Hermione. Every touch had him picturing Hermione in his arms and every time they fucked he would feel a little more hollow.

There was a part of him that knew how wrong it was to allow his desire for Hermione to continue and then there was a part of him that simply didn't care. She had felt so perfect in his arms that night and a few kisses were just not enough to satiate his desire for her. If anything those kisses had only served to inflame his desire for her. He knew he was being foolish. It would be absolutely reckless to give in to his desire for her again. He also knew that his restraint was beginning to crumble. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to continue to be around her without acting on his desire to have her.

"I bet she'd be a good fuck, probably likes to take it like a slag." Draco smirked as Theo's observation broke through his wayward thoughts. He wondered which girl had the misfortune of capturing Theo's attention. Theo was known to be relentless once he decided he wanted a girl.

"Ugh, Theo that's disgusting. She's a dirty, slaggy mudblood. What would your father say?" Pansy replied , a look of loathing and disgust on her face. Draco's fists clenched as he realized that they were discussing Hermione. He tried not to let his anger show on his face, but he wasn't entirely sure of how successful he was being. He knew for a fact that she liked to take it like a slag, he had seen it with his own eyes, but to hear his friends discuss her with such disrespect was intolerable. He wished that he was allowed some claim over her, some reason to object to the way they were talking about her, but he had no claim over her and wasn't allowed to have any claim on her, not with him around.

"He'd tell me to take what I want and to fuck that mudblood whore like the slag she is." Theo almost growled. Draco was growing angrier by the moment though he didn't dare show it. In the past he hadn't cared how they had spoken about Hermione or any other muggleborn for that matter. It was different now, though. It was different because now he cared about her, now he wanted her. Draco could feel his control slipping as Theo continued to go on about all the ways he planned to defile her and knew that he had to leave before he did something foolish.

"Well then, your father is disgusting too." Pansy retorted, scrunching her nose as though she had just smelled something terrible.

"I'm heading to class." Draco ground out in the most even voice he could manage. With clenched fists he grabbed his satchel and was about to leave when he felt Pansy grab his arm. He did his best to keep his disgust off of his face as he looked down at her fingers which were clutching the sleeve of his robes.

"I thought you were going to walk me to class." Her voice, whiny as always, grate on his nerves and caused his control to slip even further.

"I can't today. I need to speak to professor Babbling before class." He gave her a kiss on the cheek, hoping to appease her and be on his way, but her grip remained tight on his sleeve, her fingers twisting in the fabric of his robes.

"But Draco," she whined, unaccustomed to not getting what she wanted,"I want you to walk me to class." Draco knew that if he didn't leave soon he would do something really stupid, like hex his friend's tongue off or glue it to the roof of his mouth just to shut him up.

"Not today Pansy. I've got to go." Draco rather forcefully removed his sleeve from Pansy's grasp and rushed from the Great Hall as fast as his legs would carry him without running. With his back to her, Draco couldn't see the look of puzzled fury on Pansy's face.

OOOOO 

Pansy was livid. She wasn't accustomed to getting less than exactly what she wanted, but lately that was all she was getting, at least where Draco was concerned. She didn't understand the sudden change in his behavior. At first, she simply assumed it had something to do with the supposed task he had been assigned, however, as time passed it became clear that his task was not the only reason for his distraction. He was colder towards her than usual and harder to take to bed. He was always distracted, lost in thought, or just lost. Sometimes she found him in the library, other times she couldn't find him at all. It was as if he had simply vanished from the school.

A part of her was beginning to wonder if he was seeing someone else. She didn't think he would be stupid enough to do something as daft as to cheat on her, but she wasn't sure anymore. As she watched him walk away she decided enough was enough. She grabbed her bag and set off after him, determined to find out what was going on.

She followed behind him silently as he ascended the stairs, clearly set on getting to his destination. As he reached the sixth floor she expected him to turn right and head towards Ancient Runes, but instead he continued around the corner and up towards the seventh floor. Confused, Pansy followed, silent as a ghost, behind him as he climbed the stairs and then took a right. He walked down the corridor and made two more turns before arriving at the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. She knew now that he planned to go into the room of requirement. She hid around the corner, silently watching as he slipped inside the room. She waited, certain that a girl would be coming to meet him in the room, but as the minutes passed and no one else arrived, she became less certain. After a half hour of watching, and coming dangerously close to being late to class, Pansy abandoned her post to head towards Divination, vowing to watch him closely and to figure out just what exactly was going on with Draco.

OOOOO 

Hermione had a very difficult time concentrating on her translations in Ancient Runes. She had been surreptitiously watching Draco all morning. She had tried not to, but inevitably her eyes would wander back towards him. They had raked over him more than once in the Great Hall that morning until he had stalked out of the room, clearly upset by something. When they arrived for class a half hour before, she had promised herself that she would stay focused on the work and not him. So far, however, she had been rather unsuccessful. She tried very hard not to say anything. It had been two weeks since Draco had kissed her. Two weeks since he had pulled her into that empty classroom, snogged her senseless, and then told her to pretend as though it hadn't happened. To her credit she had done just that. She shared shallow and polite conversation with him in Ancient Runes, completed assignments with him, and utterly ignored his existence everywhere else. Or, at least, she had pretended to ignore him. She had devoted an intolerable amount of time to thinking about him and, when the opportunity to go undiscovered presented itself, studying him. She was beyond perplexed by his actions and couldn't fathom what had caused him to kiss her or why she had allowed him. She hated how much she was aching for him to do it again. She wanted to feel his hands, firm on her flesh, his lips soft on hers and she loathed how much she longed for it. So she did her best to keep her observations to herself. It didn't matter why he looked pale or as though he hadn't slept.

"Are you all right?" She found herself asking anyway, unable to hold the words in any longer. She bit her lip as she looked at him, trying to stop herself from saying anything else.

"I'm fine," His lips quirked down in a small frown and he ran his hand through his hair in mild aggravation.

"It's just, you're looking somewhat pale." She continued to chew her lip as she looked him over. Her eyes darting from the circles under his eyes to his pale cheeks.

"Leave it alone Granger. It's none of your business." His reply was short and his tone was harsh as he looked away from her. She noticed his hair had fallen back into his eyes and hated how much she thought it made him look sexy.

"Right. Fine." She bit back. Her eyes widened slightly and she frowned as she turned back to her work.

"Nothing happened, remember?" He said without looking up. She was stung by his tone and the reminder of just how little that kiss meant to him.

"Look, I don't actually care, just thought you would want to know." She forced her tone to be callous and couldn't remember why she had said anything in the first place. He was right, it wasn't any of her business and she would certainly be better off if she simply stopped worrying about him. She had enough to worry about as it was, what with helping Harry defeat Voldemort and her seemingly endless work load.

"Oh yes, thank you for telling me I look terrible." Draco rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he continued working on his part of the translation.

"You're welcome." She quipped and turned her attention back to her work, frustrated with herself for bothering with him in the first place.

OOOOO 

"Things are complicated." He found himself saying several minutes later. What was he doing?

"So you said." He noticed that she shifted, almost imperceptibly, towards him, her eyes glancing towards him for the briefest of moments.

"They've become even more complicated, if you can imagine." He didn't know why he was telling her this, they couldn't talk about it, not really and certainly not here, in the middle of Ancient Runes, but there was a part of him which suddenly wanted her to know everything. He wanted to tell her that he had been forced into becoming a Death Eater, that he was supposed to kill Dumbledore, but instead would probably just wind up dead himself because he didn't actually want to kill anyone. He wanted her to know that he was terrified and that he didn't want any of it. He just wanted to live his life free of the megalomaniac, free of his father, free to do what he wanted for a change. He wanted to tell her that those few kisses they had shared had meant something to him and that he had played those moments over and over in his mind, wanting to be able to do it again.

"I probably have some idea." She still hadn't looked at him properly, though she had shifted ever so slightly more towards him. He noticed her biting her lip again and couldn't help but stare at her lips, biting back a groan. Did the witch have any clue what she did to him?

"I'm going to leave her." This time she did look up at him. He saw her eyebrows knit together in confusion and felt like smacking himself. Why had he said that? Why was he even talking to her?

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Pansy. I'm going to leave her." Had she slipped him veritaserum? Why couldn't he stop talking? He was being such an idiot.

"Ok...why are you telling me this?" She looked as confused as he felt and couldn't blame her.

"Why indeed?" He muttered under his breath. He wasn't sure what had compelled him to tell her that he planned to leave Pansy. It wasn't something he had planned to do and he knew I that if he did leave her there would be hell to pay, not only from Pansy but from his parents as well. The more he thought about it though, he simply didn't care, he just wanted to be shot of her. He wanted one area of his life that wasn't being controlled by his father or the Dark Lord.

"What?" _Bugger_ she had heard him.

"Honestly, Granger, I don't know."

"Right, well maybe we should just focus on our translations then." He nodded stiffly and returned his attention to their assignment. His concentration was lost though and he couldn't focus on the task at hand, not with her sitting no more than half a foot away, not now that he had decided he was going to leave Pansy, the sooner the better.

Later, that evening, Draco found himself alone in a corner of the common room with Pansy. They had been studying with a few of their friends who had, one by one, left the table, leaving him alone with Pansy. He decided that now was as good of a time as any to break things off with her.

"Look, Pansy, I can't do this anymore." He blurted out. He hadn't intended to just blurt it out that way, but there it was.

"It is getting late. We can work on this tomorrow." Pansy said, gathering her things.

"No, Pansy, us. I can't do us anymore. I don't want to be with you anymore." He was not handling this well, but at least it would be over soon and he would be free of her.

"But our par-" He could see a look of confusion on Pansy's face as she realized he was serious.

"I don't care. I can't do this anymore." His voice was firm. He had to make sure that she understood that they were really done.

"Is there someone else?"

"No," He answered too quickly, "no, I just don't want to be together any longer. I can't keep pretending."

"Pretending?! What do you mean pretending?"

"I don't love you Pansy and you don't love me. I'm tired of acting otherwise."

"Draco you can't do this." He could see tears forming in her eyes, but he felt little remorse for his actions.

"No Pansy, I can't do us anymore. We're done. I've already told my father." The last part was a lie, but he had a feeling it was the only thing that would make her believe him.

"I hate you and we're not done! Just wait until my father hears about this!" She had angry tears in her eyes as she grabbed her bag and stormed away. A few people had turned to see what the commotion was about but a glowering look from him had them quickly turning back around. He let a small smirk grace his features as he headed out of the common room. It felt good to be free.

A/N: Thoughts? I'd love to hear them! The next chapter should be on the way soon!


	6. Unexpected Endings

Unexpected Endings

The week following his break up with Pansy turned out to be a very long week. The witch was relentless in her efforts to make him "see reason". On Tuesday morning she approached him in the common room and acted as though he had not ended their relationship the night before, swooping in for a kiss before he could stop her.

Draco and Blaise were standing near the entrance of the Slytherin common room, waiting on Theo. Draco was still rather pissed at him, seething over his comments about Hermione from the day before, but there was little he could do about it. He saw Pansy come down the stairs from the girls dormitories and felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction at being done with her. That feeling, however, was exceedingly short lived. He saw Pansy walking towards him and, before he could move, or really, do anything about it, she was kissing him. After his initial reaction wore off he pushed her away.

"Bloody hell Pansy! What the fuck are you doing?" He demanded, wiping his mouth to show his disgust.

"Kissing you." Her answer was simple and she seemed almost confused that he should have any reason to be upset by her actions.

"You can't do that anymore. We're done." She laughed. She actually laughed at him. A mirthless, almost cruel laugh.

"Oh Draco, we are far from done." He didn't even try to hide his fury.

"No we're not. We're over! I told you I've already spoken with my father. We're done." He really needed to send that bloody owl.

"We're not done." She said through clenched teeth, then left through the door before he could respond.

On Wednesday and Thursday she tried multiple times and in many different ways to negotiate her way back to being his girlfriend and when her tactics failed to sway him failed she became absolutely livid. She spent Friday screeching at him every free moment they had available, telling him he was a wretched bastard who had obviously cheated on her and she would have revenge. Fortunately, it was now Saturday and the whole school was distracted with Quidditch, Slytherin versus Gryffindor. He was supposed to be playing but had begged off instead, claiming to be ill. It gave him the perfect opportunity to sneak away to the Room of Requirement and devote more time to his task.

He had finally come up with a way to show that he was making progress towards his goal. He bought a necklace from Borgin and Burke's and cursed the thing. He intended to have Dobby deliver the necklace following the end of the Quidditch match. Since a house elf's magic worked differently than a wizard's he wasn't too concerned about Dobby being hurt in the process. His plan was to have it delivered to Dumbledore, who was probably smart enough to figure out that it was cursed and not touch the thing. Although, if he did somehow manage to touch it...well it wouldn't be good, but at least he wouldn't be dead and, more importantly, it would buy him some time. He had to figure a way around actually killing Dumbledore. He just did not have it in him to be a murderer.

OOOOO 

Harry could feel his nerves rattle as walked down to the pitch. He hoped that tricking Ron into thinking he had taken Felix Felicis would be enough to help his friend's performance, but he wasn't confident. Even with Malfoy out of the game, he still wasn't sure it would be enough for them to win. Then there was the fact that Hermione was furious with him and wasn't speaking to him, which really put a wrench in his plans to shag her. He knew that they were supposed to be done with that part of their friendship, but he had grown rather fond of their arrangement, and he wasn't really ready for it to end. It wasn't that he wanted a relationship with her. They were far too different to ever make that work, but he very much had enjoyed having someone to fuck when the mood struck. Now, however, with her not speaking to him, he wasn't so certain he would be able to make that happen. Though he thought he might be able to change her mind once she learned the truth about the Felix Felicis.

OOOOO 

"I still can't believe you gave him something Harry! You could be expelled." Hermione said, berating her friend as they made their way back to Gryffindor tower to celebrate the team's victory. She could not believe the idiocy of her raven haired friend. It would serve him right to get expelled.

"It did the trick, didn't it?" Ron demanded, defending Harry. They were both idiots!

"But that's the thing. I didn't put anything in your drink. I-"

"Yes you did! I saw you!" Hermione practically shrieked, interrupting Harry. She had watched him pour something into Ron's drink, she was positive he had spiked it with something. "And everything went right, the weather, Malfoy, Ron saving everything"

"No I didn't," Harry said calmly, pulling a tiny vial from his pockets, "see? I only wanted Ron to think that I put Felix in his drink, but I didn't. You did it all on your own Ron."

"You added Felix Felicis to his juice, that's why he saved everything!" Ron mocked in his best imitation of Hermione, "See! I can save goals all on my own!" Ron fumed at her, then stormed off.

"But you thought he'd given it to you too!" Hermione shouted after him. She felt frustrated at Ron's reaction. He had been just as convinced as she was, and honestly, he really wasn't an amazing player. He had played extraordinarily good that day, almost uncharacteristically so.

"Don't mind him, he'll come around." Harry was trying to calm her, she knew, but somehow his words only served to anger her more.

"Oh nevermind him, the git! I'm done!" She clenched her fists in agitation and resisted the urge to throw them in the air.

"Hermione-"She felt a hand on her arm, and turned to face Harry.

"No, Harry! I'm sick of it! He's such a child. I don't know what I'm supposed to have done. He's infuriating!" She yanked her arm from his grip and continued on towards the common room.

"I know, but he's Ron." Harry responded, catching up to her.

"That's no excuse!"

"It's not, he's a tosser, but he's also our best mate. You might feel better if you just forgave him."

"I'm not ready. I'm still mad."

"Fine, that's fair. To the party then?" Harry asked offering her his elbow as he did. Hermione laughed as she accepted his gesture. Harry always did have a way of making her feel better. He truly was her best friend.

"I'm going to go get us drinks. Find us a spot?" Hermione gave him a quick nod and a smile before turning to look for a spot to sit with her friend. Unfortunately her good mood was rather short lived. As she was looking for a spot her eyes fell on Ron wrapped around Lavender Brown, snogging, she assumed, but she wasn't certain. It was enough, however, to make her leave and seek sanctuary in her favorite empty classroom. The room was seldom used, the furniture coated in a thin layer of dust and laid about haphazardly, but it was quiet and had the most beautiful view of the lake, which made it the perfect place to escape. She sighed as she walked towards her usual perch, a teacher's desk positioned right in front of the window overlooking the lake. It wasn't even that she particularly wanted to be the one snogging him, not really. She was just so angry with him and after all of the grief he had given her and Ginny about snogging lately and her mixed up feelings about him and Draco, it was just far more than she wanted to deal with at that moment.

"Hi." She heard his velvet voice from behind, interrupting her thoughts, and turned from the window to greet him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, a smile gracing her features as she did.

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied, returning her smile and walking towards her. Her eyes drank him in as he moved across the room and made his way around the large teacher's desk she was leaning against. He was dressed simply in black slacks and a white button down, his house tie discarded for the day. His hair, lacking its usual slickness, fell into his eyes causing him to run his fingers through it, coaxing it back into place.

"Soothing a wounded ego and plotting revenge." She smiled to let him know she was joking and offered him the bottle of Firewhiskey she had swiped from the party. She noticed as his eyes went up in a momentary look of surprise before taking the proffered bottle.

"So, what are you doing here?" She asked again as he returned the bottle to her. She took another swig and turned expectant eyes towards him. She almost hoped that he was looking for her, that he would tell her that he wanted her, but she knew how ridiculous it was to want that from him. He had made it clear that he didn't want her, that the kiss had been nothing more than a horrible lapse in judgment. Merlin, she loathed her desire for him, but there was no denying it's existence.

Hermione wanted Draco. She wanted all of him. She had tried not to want him, had tried not to think about his lips on hers. She knew how wrong her attraction was. Never mind the fact that he didn't want her, there was the fact that she was fairly certain he was a Death Eater to contend with. Even if he wasn't one, his father was and, of course, her friends absolutely detested him. Nevertheless, she wanted him.

"Trying to solve a problem." She noticed that his expression darkened momentarily, but just as quickly it passed. He took the bottle back from her and took another swig.

"What's wrong? Maybe I can help."

"I'm not sure anyone can help. Besides, it's not anything you should get involved in." She pursed her lips to keep herself from nagging him and instead took the bottle back. She wanted to tell him that she was already involved, that she was actively fighting Voldemort, fighting his father. Instead, she took a healthy swig and offered it to Draco once more. He took it from her and took a swig, then set it on the desk behind him.

She watched as he moved in front of her, anxiously anticipating his next move. His eyes met hers as his hands went to her waist, drawing her closer to him. One hand moved up to her cheek, his fingers resting on her neck, guiding her forward until their lips met. He was once again tentative and gentle. She knew she ought to push him away, demand to know why he was kissing her if they were supposed to be pretending there was nothing between them, but she knew she wouldn't. She could feel his hand move down to her waist, pulling her closer as he continued to kiss her. The absence of their robes meant there was little between them causing the heat to rise quickly. She wanted him. Badly. She knew if he continued kissing her the way he was she wouldn't be able to maintain control.

XXXXX

For the first time Draco did not care that Slytherin had lost to Gryffindor. His mind was lost to thoughts of necklaces, curses, and Dobby as he wandered the halls. He found his way into an empty classroom, intending to take a few moments to himself before being bombarded by his angry teammates. So, he was pleasantly surprised to find a certain brunette Gryffindor already occupying the room. As soon as he saw her his thoughts drifted to their kiss, to the feeling of her body molded to his.

"Hi." He said walking towards her, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as he felt. He wasn't entirely certain that he was welcome, but his resolve to stay away from her had essentially crumbled. She turned from the window and he could see her eyes raking over him. He felt an unexpected appreciation for muggles as he took in the jeans, which hugged her curves and deep red jumper which made her pink lips all the more appealing.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, a dazzling smile lighting up her features. Merlin, he wanted her bad.

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied, walking towards her.

"Soothing a wounded ego and plotting revenge." He saw her smile and knew she must be joking, but couldn't help his surprise, though it was the bottle she produced moments later which surprised him most. He hadn't thought her the type. Nevertheless, he took the bottle of Firewhiskey from her and took a healthy swig before returning it.

"So what are you doing here?" She took a swig from the bottle as she waited for his reply.

"Trying to solve a problem." His thoughts drifted momentarily to Dobby who was delivering the necklace as they spoke. He told Dobby to deliver the necklace before Dumbledore retuned from the Quidditch match and to do so without being seen. He really hoped Dumbledore recognized the necklace for what it was and left it alone. He took another swig to stem his thoughts and focused back on Hermione. Trying to stay away from her the last three weeks had been torture and now that he had left Pansy it just seemed that much harder to pretend that he didn't want her. To pretend that he didn't need her.

"What's wrong? Maybe I can help." Of course the bloody Gryffindor would want to help. He knew as soon as he said the words what her response would be. It was one of the things he loved most about her. Part of him wanted to tell her, wanted to let her help, but he couldn't drag her into this.

"I'm not sure anyone can help. Besides, it's not anything you should get involved in." He saw her lips purse together and knew she was unhappy, but she didn't say anything. She took a swig of Firewhiskey and offered him the bottle. He took it from her and took a final sip, then set it on the desk behind him.

He was done with pretending. He wanted her and he was fairly certain that she wanted him as well. He moved in front of her, his eyes met hers as he moved his hands to her waist and drew her closer. One hand went to her cheek, his fingers drifting to her neck as he guided her lips to his. He could feel her lips smile as he kissed her, gentle at first, almost hesitant. With both hands back on her waist he drew her body closer to his, kissing her more deeply. His fingers found the edge of her jumper and wandered underneath to feel the silky skin hiding underneath. He heard a soft sigh escape her lips and felt it was his undoing. He kissed her more deeply, pressing his body to hers. He groaned when she responded by grinding her hips against his.

"I want you." He breathed between kisses, his hands disappeared further under her jumper, enjoying the warmth of her skin against his fingers as they explored.

"Then have me." He shuddered at her words, a groan escaping his lips. His hands traveled lower, down to her thighs. He hoisted her legs, wrapping them around his waist as he continued to kiss her. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted anyone. He knew it was only going to complicate things, but in that moment all he cared about was the feel of her in his arms and the way her lips moved against his. He was going to have her no matter the consequences, consequences be damned. He could feel her using her wand to seal the door to the classroom which had become their sanctuary as he rounded the desk. He pulled out his own wand to conjure a blanket and softened the floor beneath with a cushioning charm.

He knelt on the blanket, his hands gripping her thighs which were still ensnared around his waist. He kissed her fervently and she responded with equal fervor. He felt her fingers working quickly to undo the buttons of his shirt. Her hands felt like heaven as they moved over his shoulders and down his arms. His heart was hammering in his chest as her her hands traveled ever closer to his mark, certain she wouldn't want him once she confirmed what was there. Her fingers lingered on his mark and he could feel the question in her expression as continued to kiss her, but just as quickly it disappeared. All the tension fled his body as her fingers traveled to his hands, momentarily interlocking hers with his. He felt his shirt skim past his fingers as her arms went around his neck. He could feel her press her body to his and moaned at the contact. His fingers skimmed her flesh as he pulled her jumper over her head. The rest of their clothing followed in a similar fashion, scattered along the floor. He pressed his naked body to hers, relishing in the feel of her skin against his. He kissed her deeply, her hands twisting in his hair, soft moans escaping her lips as his fingers continued their exploration of her skin. He wanted her, needed her, needed to feel himself inside of her.

He pulled away just enough to catch her eye. She held his gaze for a moment then pulled him back to her, lips connecting in an urgent kiss. He felt her fingers wrap around his cock and groaned as she guided him towards her entrance. She moaned as he entered her, their lips never breaking contact. He felt her legs wrap around his waist, driving him deeper. He moved slowly, savoring the feel of her, inching deeper with each thrust. He could feel her moving against him, meeting every thrust, grinding her hips against his. He began moving faster, spurred on by her moans of pleasure. He pulled one of her legs over his shoulder, angling himself deeper inside of her. He could feel the tension building and knew he wouldn't last much longer.

Minutes later he felt her come undone, a look of pleasure on her face as she moaned his name over and over again. With a few more thrusts he felt the tension within him release in the most wonderful way. He buried his face in her neck as he came, his body quaking with pleasure. He groaned as she moved her leg back down to his hip and used her heels to take take his cock deeper, the feel of her orgasm increasing his own. He rolled to the side to avoid collapsing on top of her, his cock still nestled between her legs. He was out of breath, spent from fucking her, but he didn't want to let her go. He kissed her, lightly, his lips just brushing hers and felt his cock twitch at the contact.

He kissed her harder and rolled her onto her back. He could feel his cock harden as he continued to kiss her. He felt her legs wrap around his waist and slid his cock further into her. He moved slowly, pulling his cock nearly all the way out, then thrusting as deeply as he could. For nearly an hour he fucked her slowly, feeling her come on his cock again and again. He felt that delicious tension building and moved faster towards his release. He felt her come again and came undone, his orgasm rocking through him. He laid gently on top of her and rolled them to the side, his body never breaking contact with hers. He held her close, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, and although he didn't intend to, he drifted off to sleep.

OOOOOO

Harry was looking forward to his night with Hermione. They always had a good time together, especially since she had started sharing her protective magic with him. The magic coursing through their veins encouraged their happy demeanor and meant that they usually had a lot of fun together. Harry snagged a couple of butterbeers from the table and searched for Hermione. He couldn't see her anywhere in the room. As he continued to search his eyes found Ron and Lavender snogging. He knew then that she must have left the party. He figured it was more likely for her to search out an empty classroom or go to the library than to head off for the dorms so he ducked through the portrait hole and made his way down the corridor, choosing to check a couple of nearby classrooms. He poked his head in several rooms before arriving at her favorite. As he peeked in his jaw dropped. Before he could say anything the door slammed in his face. He tried for several minutes to get the door open, using every unlocking spell at his command. When that failed he tried brute strength. When that failed he turned on his heels and headed back to common room, heading straight for his dorm.

Once in his bed, curtains drawn, Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map to confirm what he already suspected. Even though he was expecting it, his jaw still dropped when he found Hermione's dot under Draco fucking Malfoy. He couldn't believe that she would allow him to touch her that way. He wondered then if that was why she had quit shagging him.


End file.
